White House Gardens Week #10, August 19, 2010

Week #10 August 19, 2010
This has been a very challenging week for me in the garden.  There is so much more to plant for you, but I seem to be running out of time!  That’s my biggest challenge, finding the time to do all that I want to do.  There are so many new things that I want to try and grow.  When these things overwhelm me, I feel like I’m running in circles, and not accomplishing anything.  The days are definitely getting shorter and I can feel the coolness in the air now that the humidity has left.  Fall is upon us and summer is winding down. 

The tomatoes are peaking, especially the cherry tomatoes, but the heirlooms are not ripening yet.  Hopefully the nice weather will continue so we can enjoy the many colors and flavors of the heirloom tomatoes.  The lettuce in your share is an iceberg lettuce.  I am not happy with it’s appearance, I think I let it grow a little too long before picking.  Please let me know what you think of the taste.  Iceberg lettuce is a challenge to grow in my soil, too much clay.  There will be a couple of weeks without lettuce, until the next planting is ready.  In all, I have been pleased with the fact that I have put lettuce in your shares more times than not.  That was one of my goals for this year. 

Another goal was to grow more and better melons.  I definitely got more, but I felt most of them did not taste very good.  I would love to hear your comments on the melons, especially the muskmelons or cantelopes. 

I am also not pleased with the fennel that I picked this week.  I have tried to grow fennel for several years and I think this year may be the last.  Many of the bulbs had bolted without even becoming a bulb!  There is some information about fennel and a couple of recipes in the newsletter.  My favorite way to cook fennel is to sauté it in olive oil and garlic.  Trim the stalks from the bulb and slice crossways into ¼” slices.  Heat olive oil over medium heat, add garlic and crushed red pepper to taste and sauté for 30 seconds.  Add the fennel slices and cook over medium heat until lightly browned and tender.  This makes a great side dish. 

All the peppers this week are hot and/or mildly spicey.  Large shares include some Cubanelles, which are only slightly hot.  The others are jalapenos, Serrano (thin green and/or red), Cayenne (small red, shriveled), Czech Black (dark purple), or Bulgarian Carrot (yellow).  Small shares do not include Cubanelles.  There will be more later.

Tomatoes  Cherry and slicing tomatoes.  Included in the newsletter is a recipe for Jamie Oliver’s “The Mothership Tomato Salad”.  I love this recipe because it’s so simple and can be used to make a salad, a topping for bruschetta, or tossed with pasta.
 
Lettuce  Iceberg type. 
 
Carrots  Carrots (and many other vegetables) are great roasted.  Cut them into slices or chunks along with any other vegetables you may have, such as onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic.  Cut all the vegetables into same size pieces so they cook evenly.  Toss with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Bake at 400 degrees until tender.  The time will depend on what vegetables you are using.
 
Fennel  See above on how to sauté fennel.  Also see info and more recipes in this newsletter
 
Watermelon  The dark green ones have red flesh, and the light green ones with dark stripes have yellow flesh
 
Red Onions 
 
Green Beans  Romano (Italian flat green beans) or Tongue of Fire.  The later can be eaten as a fresh bean or picked later as a fresh shell bean.  Tongue of Fire is green with red streaks. 
 
Peppers  This week’s share is all about hot peppers.  Try the Cubanelles stuffed with meat or cheese and baked.  Use the jalapeno, Serrano, Bulgarian Carrot, Cayenne, or Czech Black to make salsa or add them to fried potatoes.

The Mothership Tomato Salad
From “Jamie at Home” by Jamie Oliver
2 ¼ pounds mixed ripe tomatoes, different shapes and colors
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A good pinch of dried oregano
Red wine or balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
1 fresh red chili, deseeded and chopped
Depending on the size of your tomatoes, slice some in half, some into quarters and others into uneven chunks.  Straightaway this will give you the beginnings of a tomato salad that’s really brave and exciting to look at and eat.  Put the tomatoes into a colander and season with a good pinch of sea salt.  Give them a toss, season again and give a couple more tosses.  The salt won’t be drawn into the tomatoes; instead it will draw any excess moisture out, concentrating all the lovely flavors.  Leave the tomatoes in the colander on top of a bowl to stand for around 15 minutes, then discard any juice that has come out of them.

Transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl and sprinkle over the oregano.  Make a dressing using one part vinegar to three parts oil, the garlic and the chili.  Drizzle the tomatoes with enough dressing to coat everything nicely.

This is a fantastic tomato salad, which is totally delicious to eat on its own.  It’s also great served with some balls of mozzarella or some nice, grilled ciabatta bread. 
Note:  This can also be tossed with hot pasta.  Crush the tomatoes with your hands, then toss with pasta, add fresh mozzarella and basil. 

Fennel From a distance, fennel plants growing in the
field look like a tall, rich, plush carpet. With a sweet, delicate anise flavor,
fennel can be used much like celery in soups, salads, stir-fries, and
other dishes. When used raw, its distinct taste shines through. When
cooked, it imparts a subtle but delicious quality to the finished dish.

STORAGE
Cut off the stalks where they emerge from the bulb. To use the feathery
foliage as an herb, place the dry stalks upright in a glass
filled with two inches of water, cover the glass loosely
with a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator
for up to five days. The unwashed bulb will
keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for at
least a week.

Fennel and Potato Gratin
This is a tasty variation of a traditional
dish. Replace the half-and-half with
whole milk for a less rich dish. Friend
of the Farm.
Serves 4 to 6
butter for greasing the baking dish
1 medium fennel bulb, cut crosswise into
1/8-inch slices (about 2 cups)
2 cups thinly sliced Yukon gold potatoes
(about 2 large potatoes)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons butter
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly coat a shallow 2-quart
baking dish with butter.
2. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a layer of fennel slices.
Cover with half of the potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to
taste. Repeat layers until you’ve used up all your slices.
3. Bring the half-and-half to a gentle boil in a medium pan over medium-
high heat. Pour it over the fennel and potato.
4. Using a large spatula, press down on the top layer to submerge it.
Dot with butter. Bake until potatoes are tender and the top is golden,
about 1 hour.
HANDLING
Remove any damaged spots or layers. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise
and check the inner core. If it’s tough, remove it with a paring knife.
Fennel should be washed carefully, because dirt can lodge between
the layers of the bulb. Chop or mince the leaves.
 
Rich Summer Fennel Soup
This hearty soup makes for a meal on its own, and it’s even better the
next day for lunch, though the farm crew seldom leaves any behind.
To make your tomatoes virtually peel themselves, score a very
shallow X on the bottom of each one, put them in a heatproof
bowl or measuring cup, and pour boiling water
over them. Leave them in the boiling water for a
minute or so if necessary; the peel will loosen completely.
Angelic Organics Kitchen.
Serves 3
Bouquet Garni:
1 sprig parsley, stem only
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
Soup:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium or large fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 medium potato, peeled, cubed
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons Pernod (licorice-flavored liqueur) (optional)
1/4 cup heavy cream or silken tofu
salt
white pepper
chopped parsley
1. To prepare the bouquet garni, tie together the parsley stem, bay
leaf, and thyme sprig in a piece of cheesecloth.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add
the onion; sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
3. Stir in the fennel, carrot, and potato and cook for 5 minutes. Add
the tomatoes, stock, and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, then reduce
the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the fennel
is very soft, about 30 minutes.
4. Discard the bouquet garni. Let the mixture cool slightly and then
purée it in batches in a food processor or blender. (If you are using tofu
instead of cream, add it now and purée with the rest of the ingredients.)
5. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the Pernod and cream. Heat over
medium-low heat to allow the soup to heat through, but do not boil. Season
with salt and white pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley.
Excerpted from Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables: Seasonal Recipes and Stories from a Community Supported Farm
by Farmer John Peterson & Angelic Organics (Gibbs Smith Publisher). Check with your local farm or bookstore for availability.